Current collector for trolley busses or like vehicles



June 10, 1941. F. SZALAY 2,245,507

CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR TROLLEY BUSSES OR LIKE VEHICLES Filed Feb. 21, 1939 Patented June 10, 1941 CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR 'TROLLEY BUSSES OR LIKE VEHICLES Ferenc Szalay, Budapest, Hungary, 'assignor to Inventio Patentverwertungs Aktiengeseli schaft, Glarus, Switzerland, a company of Switzerland Application February 21, 1939, Serial No. 257,725 In Hungary February 28, 1938 7 Claims.

The invention comprises improvements in or relating to current collectors for trolley busses or like vehicles supplied from two or more overhead Wires.

The invention relates to current collecting assemblies of the kind comprising a single trolley pole and two or more collecting members (i. e. shoes or wheels) appropriated to the several overhead wires respectively and supported in electrically insulated and spaced relationship from the trolley pole by means allowing rotational movement of the collecting members in relation to the pole to adapt themselves to the overhead. Wires.

A disadvantage of the current collecting assemblies of this kind which have been previously proposed is that the collecting members employed have guiding flanges engaging both sides of the wire to constrain them to follow the wire. As a consequence of this arrangement it is necessary to make gaps in the trolley wires at junctions and cross-overs to accommodate the two flanges of each of the collecting members with the accompanying disadvantage that the trolleys are very apt to leave the wires at these places. It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of the collecting shoes or Wheels which allows of a reduction being made in the number or widths of the gaps in the trolley wires at cross-overs and junctions.

According to the invention a current collecting assembly of the above kind is characterized by the feature that the several collecting members appropriated to different overhead wires, or at least two of them when there are more than two such members, each have only a single guiding flange, the flanges being so arranged on the collecting members that by their guiding engage ment of the wires they limit lateral movement of the assembly in relation to the wires. It will be appreciated that by the use of single-flanged collecting members according to the invention it is only necessary to provide at cross-overs and junctions a space for the passage of the flanges on these members on one side of each wire.

In one form of the invention the collecting members are shoes of substantial length and the shoes are pivotally supported for independent movement about an axis transverse to the wires when the shoes are in running position. In this form of the invention the shoes may be connected together by cross-members to constitute a four-sided hinged framework in such manner the shoes are in running position and the other end is pivoted for movement about an axis substantially parallel to the length of the wires.

Some specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a View from the. front of the framework formed by the shoes and cross-members, the front cross-member being broken away on the right-hand side of the figure to show the rear cross-member;

Figure 2 a side View of the framework shown in Figure 1 in position on the end of the trolley pole;

Figure 3 is a front end view of an alternative form of collecting shoe for use in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2, and

Figure 4 is a front view showing the collecting shoes and the supporting means in one embodithat one end of each shoe is pivoted for movement about an axis transverse to the Wires when flanges may however, if desired, be arranged outside the trolley wires :21, 02.

At their front ends considered in the running direction these shoes a1 and a: are pivotally connected by bearings as indicated at 01 to cross-bars t1 and is which extend transversely to the trolley wires. The cross-bars t1 and ii are, in this example, insulated from one another and they are provided with insulating sleeves s1, .92 which are gripped by a sleeve hi which serves to maintain the cross-pieces in fixed relation. The sleeve in has a dependent bearing 01 which pivotally engages the forward end of a bar ts. At their other ends the collecting shoes a1, (12 are, pivotallyconnected by means of forked members f1, f2 and pins 21, zz-to eyes oncross-bars extending transversely to the trolley wires similar to the bars t1, in. One of these bars is-shown at 154 in Figure 1 and the two bars are held together by means of a sleeve hz which, as shown in-Figure 2, is pivotally attached to the rear end of the bar t5.

The bar is which extends between and parallel to the trolley wires is pivotally supported from a vertical pin ts by a pivot pin 03. The vertical pin is is received for rotation 'about'a vertical axis'in a sleeve :1 :formedon the end of the trolley pole l. The bar is is crankedas shown in Figure 2 in order to bring the pivotal support '0: nearer to the contact faces of the collecting shoes. The pivotal support 03 in this example is arranged at the centre of the operative length of the collecting shoe. However, particularly satisfactory results are obtained if the pivotal support is placed slightly in front of this position considered in the running direction.

The object of the particular arrangement of the pivotal connections between the collecting shoes and the cross-pieces and of the pivotal connections between the cross-pieces and the bar f5, and between the bar is and the trolley pole is to ensure that the collecting shoes may adapt themselves to the trolley wires even when the wires do not lie in the same plane and are not parallel when viewed horizontally.

Springs r1, r2 connected to the two sleeves hi and ha respectively and to a ring g which is free to rotate around the sleeve 2' are provided for maintaining the bar is in approximately horizontal position when the collecting shoes have been removed from the wires.

An alternative form of collecting shoe suitablefor use in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated in Figure 3. This form of the shoe is provided with a single flange intermediate of its width so that it may be used with the Wire on the outer side of the flange in a manner similar to that shown in full lines in Figure 1 or with the wire on the inner side of the flange.

The electrical connections from the collecting shoes are made by means of flexible insulating cables which may be arranged inside the trolley pole or the trolley pole itself may be employed as a conducting member.

Arms as shown at 011 and d2 in Figure 1 may be provided to engage the trolley wire should it slip off the collecting shoes a1 and a2 and by engagement of the wire in their hooked ends prevent Further the sloping surface of the arms tends to lead the trolley wire back into its position on the collecting shoes. The arms di and d2 are directed slightly downwardly from the colcomplete dewirement of the assemblyfi looting shoes to ensure that they may pass junctions and cross-over without striking against them.

In an alternative form of the above arrangement the rigid cross-pieces t1 and f2 and the corresponding members at the rear of the frame and their connections to the collecting shoes are replaced by flat horizontal springs rigidly fixed to the shoes. In this form the relative movement of the shoes is obtained by the flexibility of the springs instead of by the pivotal that it may adjust itself to the trolley wire by a pin $3. The two trolley wheels m1 and me are carried on arms t1 and t2 which are of a springy nature so that the wheels may adjust themselves to the wires. The arms t1 and 132 are insulated from each other and also from their holder h. The holder h is pivotally supported about a horizontal axis by means of a pin ii in the vertical pin is which is itself received in a sleeve in the end of the trolley pole.-

In this example single In this example the collecting shoe a may be replaced by two double flanged trolley wheels lying one behind the other in the running direction and instead of the single flanged trolley wheels 1121, m2 single flanged collecting shoes may be used. Alternatively four single-flanged collecting wheels may be used. Whatever form of collecting means may be employed care has to be taken to ensure that the flanges will guide the collecting means in the longitudinal direction of the trolley wires.

It is to be understood that in each case where sliding shoes are employed these may be replaced wholly or partly by Wheels.

In cases where several sliding collecting shoes and wheels are employed those shoes or wheels which take no part in the guiding of the assembly may be employed without flanges.

What I claim is:

1. A current collector for trolley busses or light vehicles supplied from at least two overhead wires, comprising elongated shoes insulated from one another, means pivotally connecting said shoes together to maintain said shoes in spaced relation substantially parallel to said overhead wires and permitting relative vertical movement of said shoes, a single guiding flange upon each of said shoes so arranged that by their guiding engagement the lateral movement of said shoes is limited with relation to said overhead wires, said current collector being provided with pivotally supporting means around which said collector may adjust itself at least around two axes, one of said axes being substantially vertical and around which said collector is rotatable as a whole with relation to the trolley pole.

2. A current collector a set forth in claim 1,

wherein said means pivotally connecting said shoes comprises a rod and said pivotally supporting means are positioned on said rod. I 3. A current collector as set forth in claim wherein said means pivotally connecting said shoes together is H-shaped with parallel legs and arranged substantially in the plane of said overhead wires, said collecting shoes being mounted on the ends of said parallel legs and being of substantial length, said shoes being so mounted that one end of each shoe is pivotable about an axis transverse to said overhead Wires when said shoes are in running position and the other end is pivotable for movement about an axis substantially parallel to the length of said wires and the cross member of said means pivotally connecting said shoes being pivotally mounted on said legs about an axi parallel to said wires.

4. A current collector as set forth in claim 1 in which said flanges are arranged intermediate of the width of said collecting shoes in such manner that said flanges may engage either the inner or the outer sides of said overhead wires.

5. A current collector as set forth in claim 1 in which said pivotally supporting means are at substantially the center of the length of said shoes.

6. A current collector as set forth in claim 1 in which said pivotally supporting mean is located close to the plane of the collecting surfaces of said shoes.

'7. A current collector as set forth in claim 1 in which spring means are provided for connecting said pivotally supporting means to said trolley. pole tending to maintain said shoes in operative position relative to said pole.

FERENC SZALAY. 

